


Chances

by Squarepeg72



Series: Off the Pages [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Full Moon, Gen, Werewolf Turning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 06:48:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19969771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squarepeg72/pseuds/Squarepeg72
Summary: Hermione spends an evening trying to convince Bill he will not share Remus Lupin's fate.





	Chances

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Hermione's Haven Personal Library Challenge 2019 Round 2
> 
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/148170750@N07/48368966096/in/dateposted-public/)  
> 
> 
> Disclaimer: All canon characters, plots, and situations from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling. I am not profiting from this writing.
> 
> “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” - John Steinbeck

Bill looked around the room. Padded walls and enchanted glass surrounded a pallet on the floor. This was not where he had planned to spend tonight. But, until they knew he was free of the poison, this is where he would spend one night every month.

“You don’t have to do this, Bill.” Hermione’s voice startled him. “It has been three years since you were attacked and you have never had any signs of becoming him. The potion you took after the attack stopped the poison, stopped the changes in your systems. Why do you insist on this room every month?”

“Because I can feel him inside me.” Bill gripped the back of his head, pulling his hair. “I see his mark every time I look in the mirror. I feel the darkness grow in me as the full moon comes closer.”

“That doesn’t mean you will ever become a werewolf, Bill.” Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder. “If Remus were here, he would tell you the same thing. Greyback was not able to finish the bite that would completely change you. Your family misses you when you insist on being here.”

“Hermione,” Bill sighed as he slid down the padded wall across the room from her. “You are a skilled healer and, if my brother ever gets around to it, a member of my family. That doesn’t change my chances of becoming a monster and hurting my family. I want more than this for the rest of my life.”

“Chances are, you will never become a werewolf, Bill.” Hermione paced before him, waving her hands in front of her. “We have tested and watched and given you potions when you have asked. We are never going to be able to make your face look perfect, but I can promise you will never have the nightmares that Remus had.”

“Nothing is ever a complete guarantee,” Bill whispered as he watched Hermione pace. “I break curses for a living, Mione. I have seen what happens when you think you have a curse broken and you missed one little thing.”

Bill, this is not a curse to be broken.” Hermione stopped pacing to looked at her worried patient. “This is a poison that is transferred from werewolf to victim. You have NO traces of the poison in your system. Your blood tests have come back normal for years.”

“Tonight it the full moon.” Bill let his head fall against the wall. “I can feel it rising as we speak. How can I take chances with my family ‘s safety when I feel the full moon rise and growl when my dinner is not raw enough.”

“So, that is why you push yourself so hard.” Hermione knelt in front of him. “That is why you need to be perfect 27 out of 28 days every month. Perfection does guarantee safety, Bill. It just guarantees a sour stomach and attitude.”

“Fleur wants children.” Bill cried as he looked out the window with empty eyes. “How can I promise her we won’t pass this curse on to the next generation if I can feel the poison in me?”

“You don’t have to be perfect to have children.” Hermione slid down the wall to sit beside Bill. “Just look at Teddy. He is a beautiful little boy who can change his hair color like his mother and shows no signs of his father’s curse.”

“Teddy is the exception.” Bill closed his eyes to try to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. “Do we know how Fleur’sVeela heritage will mix with the poison I can still feel in my veins?”

“Tonight is the final test,” Hermione spoke clearly. “Tonight is the last time we will close you on this room and wait for the moon to rise. Tonight, we are going to conduct one last experiment to prove that the darkness you feel is just a part of every witch and wizard.”

“Why are you still here?” Bill asked frantically. “The door will lock soon. You can’t spend the night here. It’s not safe.”

“Yes, it is.” Hermione sighed. “We have three years worth of proof that you will never be what you fear. Tonight, I am staying with you. Tonight, I am proving you are safe around people you care about.”

“You can’t stay with me.” Bill rose quickly and tried to pull Hermione up from the floor. “You need to get out now. It is not safe to be here with me. I’m not safe tonight.”

“I am staying with you tonight.” Hermione pulled her hand out of his grip. “You are no threat to anyone. You are not a werewolf and you will never become a werewolf. You have worked with magical creatures enough to know this is true.”

“This is not a chance I asked you to take.” Bill paced the room, watching the moon rise through the small window. “What will this prove? How does this help anything?”

“I will be taking your blood at certain times during the night and sending it to be tested.” Hermione took her wand from the pocket inside her robe. “If any sign of werewolf poison show in any vial of blood taken tonight, we will continue to research and hold this room open for you. If no traces of the poison you fear show up in any blood we test, then tonight is the last night we will do this. You will go home to your family and start to live again.”

“Can that be good enough?” Bill’s voice drifted through the dark.

“It will have to be.” Hermione shrugged and flicked her wand at the door. “Chances are we will never do this again. Just believe that you can be good enough and watch what happens.”

“It’s not perfect.” Bill placed his hand on the window as he watched the moon rise. “But, I can be good enough.”


End file.
